Tube-pointing machine.



' Y mmfii L. SUMMEY. W TUBE POINTING MACHINE.

I APPLICATION FILED OCT. 19, 1912. 1,070,379 I Patented Aug. 12, 1913.

2 SHEETS-813231 1.

D. L. SUMMBY. TUBE POINTING MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED OUT. 19, 1912.

Patented Aug. 12, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

BEST so}? i NrTED srarnsrarnr FFICE;

DAVID L. SUMMEY, on WATERBURY, connncrrcu'r, ASSIGNOR To jo'HAsn ROLLING MILL 00., OF WATERIBURY, oonnno'rrcu'iga CORPORATION.

TUBE-POINTIN G MACHINE.

owers.

Specification of Letters Patent.

\ Application filed October 19, 1912. Serial No. 726,675.

' To all whom it may concem Be it known that I, DAVID L. SUMMEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tube- Pointing Machines; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the characters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear and exact description of the same, and whlch said drawings constitute part of this application, and represent, in

Figure 1- a view partly in front elevation and partly in vertical section, of a tubepointing machine constructed in accordance with my invention, with the dies shown at the conclusion of the first step in the pointing operation during which the tube has been given an hour-glass form in cross-section, the initial circular form of the tube being shown by broken lines. Fig. 2 a view of the machine in end elevation. Fig. 3 a

view of the machine in side elevation with the dies shown at the conclusion of the sec ond and final step in the operation of the machine. Fig. 4 aperspective view of the tube at the end of the first step of the pointing operation. Fig. 5 a View of the tube as pointed inthe machine and ready to be drawn.

' Heretofore tubes have generally been pointed preparatory to being drawn, by subjecting them to the action of hammers in a machine furnished with a plurality of dies, the tubes being manually shifted from die to die and manually rotated during the pointing operation. This old hammermethod of pointing tubes has been found to be objectionable, not only because each machine must have two or three attendants, but also because the hammering of the metal tends to crystallize it, and hence often results in time-consuming and dangerous breakages of the operation.

The object of my present invention is to points during the drawing produce a labor-saving, power, tube-point ing machine constructed with particular reference to quickly and symmetrically pointing the tubes by bending the metal rather than hammering it, whereby the crysallization of the metal inthe points is wholly avoided.

Withthese" in view, my invention shown, I employ a pair of pointed dies 2 and 3 located in line opposite each other and respectively mounted in the inner ends of piston-rods 4, 5, confined by removable housings 6 in the upright machine-frame 7. I also employ a pair of concave dies 8 and 9 located opposite each other in a line at a right angle to the line intersecting the pointed dies 2 and 3, the concave die 8 being mounted in the inner end ofa piston-rod 10 held in place by a removable housing 11 secured to the machine-frame 7, while the concave die 9 is mounted in a block 12 set into the said frame 7. The piston-rod l is operated by a piston 13 in a cylinder 14, the piston-rod 5 by a piston 15 in a cylinder l6, and the piston-rod 10 by a piston 17 in a cylinder 18. For the retraction of the dies 2, 3 and 8, the piston-rods 4, 5 and 10 are encircled byheavy helical springs 19. The cylinders 14:- and 16 employed for the operation of the pointed dies 2, 3, are connected by pipes 20, 21 and 22 to a watersupply pipe 23, the pipe 22 containing an operating-valve 24; 'of any approved construction. The cylinder 18 is connected by a pipe 25 with the supply pipe 23, the pipe,

25 also containing a suitable operating-valve 26. The valve 24 is furnished with an exhaust pipe 27, while the valve 26 is furnished with a corresponding exhaust pipe 28. By means of these exhaust pipes 27 and 28 the water is withdrawn from the cylinders. A stop 29 bolted to the machine-frame 7 provides for positioning the end of the tube 30 between the dies preparatory to pointing the tube. The machine-frame 7 is mounted upon suitable pedestals 31.

In the use of my improved machine, a tube 30 is introduced into the machine until arrest-ed by the stop 29 which positions the tube lengthwise with respect to the dies 2, 3, 8 .and 9. The valve 2 is now operated to admit water under pressure into the cylinders 14 and 16, causlng the dies 2 and 3 to advance upon the tube from opposite directions, and by forcing its opposite sides inward, change it from a circular crosss e.ction to a cross-section resembling an hourglass. During this first operation, the concave dies 8 and 9 arrest any tendency that the tube may have to move in their direction, or at a right angle to the line of the action of the pointed dies 2 and 8, the concave die 8 being at this time at the end of its backward stroke, while the concave die 9 also occupies a fixed position. The valve 24 is now operated to withdraw the water from the cylinders 14 and 16 through the flattened in the direction of its length. The

valve 26 is then operated to withdraw the water from the cylinder 18 through the exhaust-pipe 28. The tube having been symmetrically pointed and reduced in diameter, is now withdrawn from the machine and its pointed end passed through an ordinary drawing die, not shown, but understood to be of approved form, and mounted in an ordinary drawing punch. That portion of thepointed tube projecting through the die is then gripped by the ordinary drawing tongs.

By means of my improved labor-saving, power machine, heavy tubes may be quickly and symmetrically pointed preparatory to being drawn. My machine is of simple construction and convenient to use, since it does not call for any rotation of the tube during the pointing operation. Moreover, it points the tube by a simple folding operation, avoiding the crystallization of the metal so frequently resulting from hammering the tube as is now generally done in pointing tubes preparatory to drawing them. Tubes pointed by hammering undergo such changes of crystallization that the points very often break during the drawing process, entailing a loss of time and endangering the workmen. My improved machine also effects a great economy of labor over the old process which required the services of two or three men to hold and rotate the tube while being pointed.

I claim 1. In a machine for pointing the ends of tubes preparatory to drawing them, the combination with a pair of pointed dies hav ing their points located in line with each other, of a pair of concave dies having their concavities located in line with each other on a line at a right angle to a line intersecting the points of the pointed dies, and means for moving the dies of one pair of dies toward and away-from each other in a right line, and ,for moving one of the dies of the other pair in a right line toward and away from its fellow.

2. In a machine for pointing the ends of tubes preparatory to drawing them, the combination with a pair of symmetrically pointed dies having their points located in line with each other, of a pair of concave dies having their concavities located in line with each other on a line at a right angle to a line intersecting the points of the pointed dies, means for moving the pointed dies toward and away from each other on a right line, and means for moving one of the concave dies on a right line toward and away from its fellow, the movable concave diesupporting the tubes while the pointed dies are forming the same and advancing to compress the tubes in the opposite direction and complete the pointing thereof after the retirement of the pointed dies.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DAVID L. SUMMEY.

Witnesses:

FRANK B. NOBLE, F. S. CHASE. 

